Disposable scalpel handle

ABSTRACT

A disposable scalpel handle adaptable for use by either right handed or left handed surgeons is produced in a single press swaging operation, in which there is no leftover material or &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;flash&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; which has to be removed. Since the disposable scalpel handle produced is perfectly symmetrical about its central axis, a blade can be mounted to either side of the blade holding portion of the scalpel, thereby providing a scalpel adaptable for use by either right handed or left handed surgeons.

United States Patent [191 Cummings DISPOSABLE SCALPEL HANDLE [75]Inventor: Clinton M. Cummings, Southbury,

Conn.

[73] Assignee: Acme United Corporation,

Bridgeport, Conn.

[22] Filed: June 25, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 373,513

Related U.S. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 306,322, Nov.14, 1972, Pat. No.

[451 Apr. 15, 1975 1,940,855 12/1933 Friedman 30/337 X 2,240,387 4/1941Crank et a1.

2,316,985 4/1943 Niedermayer 30/339 X 3,448,519 6/1969 Tobias 30/293FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 653,728 11/1928 France 128/305 397,6558/1933 United Kingdom 30/339 Primary Examiner-A1 Lawrence SmithAssistant Examinerl. T. Zatarga Attorney, Agent, or FirmMattern, Wareand Davis [57] ABSTRACT A disposable scalpel handle adaptable for use byeither right handed or left handed surgeons is produced in a singlepress swaging operation, in which there is no leftover material or flashwhich has to be removed. Since the disposable scalpel handle produced isperfectly symmetrical about its central axis, a blade can be mounted toeither side of the blade holding portion of the scalpel, therebyproviding a scalpel adaptable for use by either right handed or lefthanded surgeons.

4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures DISPOSABLE SCALPEL HANDLE This is a divisionof application Ser. No. 306,322, filed Nov. 14, 1972, now U.S. Pat. No.3,817,077 dated June 18, 1974.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Most prior art scalpel handles aremanufactured with blade holding arms that require the blade to beinserted by bending and snapping the blade in place. As a result, thescalpel handle can only have a blade mounted on one side, and differentscalpel handles have to be manufactured for right handed and left handedsurgeons. Furthermore, these prior art scalpel handles require somewhatcomplicated manufacturing processes and are relatively expensive.

In order to reduce the cost of scalpel handles and the need for repeatedsterilization, some manufacturers make disposable scalpel handles usingplastics. Although the unit cost of each scalpel handle is substantiallyreduced, the disposable plastic scalpel handles have a tendency to flexmore than a metal scalpel handle, and also because of their low weight,are less appealing to many surgeons.

In an attempt to manufacture metal scalpel handles at a reasonable cost,some scalpel handles are being manufactured bya press swaging operation.However, all of these press swaging operations suffer from the commonproblem of flash or leftover material which has to be removed in aseparate operation. This additional step is costly. and results in ahigher unit cost for the final product.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a surgicalscalpel handle adaptable for use by both right handed and left handedsurgeons.

Another object of this invention is to provide a surgical scalpel handleof the above character which is all metal, and is capable of beingmanufactured in a single press swaging operation that eliminatesleftover metal or flash."

Another object of this invention is to provide a surgical scalpel handleof the above character which weighs substantially the same as expensive,nickel-silver scalpel handles.

Another object of this invention is to provide a surgical scalpel handleof the above character to which all surgical blades can be quickly andeasily secured.

A further object of this invention is to provide a surgical scalpelhandle of the above character to which the surgical blade can be securedto either side of the scalpel.

Another object of this invention is to provide a surgical scalpel handleof the above character which is inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The surgical scalpel handle of this inventioncomprises a one piece unit which is completely symmetrical about itscentral axis, thereby allowing any surgical blade to be secured to ablade mounting portion on either side thereof. Consequently, the scalpelhandle can have blades mounted thereon for use by either right handed orleft handed surgeons.

A major aspect of this unique scalpel handle is its method ofmanufacture. Initially, an elongated cylindrical rod such as used forthe axles of toy trucks having specially contoured ends is employed. Oneend of the cylindrical rod is inserted into a rotary swaging machinewhich forms and stretches that end of the rod in a single operation intoa smaller diameter cylindrical portion and a conical portioninterconnecting the smaller diameter cylindrical portion with the largerdiameter cylindrical rod. This operation also automatically establishesthe final length of the scalpel handle.

The manufacture of the scalpel handle is then substantially completed bya single press swaging operation. In this step, the rotary swaged rod ismerely placed in a press die and in a single press operation, the rod isformed into the desired scalpel handle. Preferably, the die incorporatesgrooves which provide the scalpel handle body with a non-slip grippingsurface. The smaller diameter cylindrical portion which is formed in therotary swaging operation is formed into the blade mounting portion bythe press swaging operation. Since this mounting arm is flat on bothsides and completely symmetrical about its central axis, the surgicalblade can be mounted to either side of the mounting arm by piercing thenecessary holes therein.

The larger diameter cylindrical rod forms the scalpel handle portion,while the conical interconnecting portion between the smaller diametercylindrical portion and the larger diameter cylindrical rod forms theinterconnecting zone between the mounting portion and the handleportion. The specially contoured end of the larger diameter cylindricalrod provides the palm end of the scalpel handle with a smooth roundedend, without leaving any flash."

Since the press die is designed to accommodate all of the material inthe cylindrical rod, the resulting scalpel is manufactured in a singlepress swaging operation without any *flash" resulting from the swagingoperation. The elimination offlash is a great advantage for ease ofmanufacture and cost reduction, since there is no leftover flashmaterial which needs to be removed in a separate, costly operation.Consequently. as soon as the press swaging operation is completed andmounting holes are pierced in the blade mounting portion, the scalpelhandle is ready to have the blade mounted thereto.

A further advantage of this scalpel and method of manufacture is thehigh quality product that results. By using a cylindrical rod whichcomprises a uniform diameter and cross-section throughout its entirelength and finish and by using properly designed press dies, the scalpelproduced after the press swaging operation also comprises a uniformcross-section incorporating the same quantity of material as in thecylindrical rod, but in a different shape. As a result, the strength andrigidity of the scalpel produced is assured. Consequently, the qualityof the scalpel handle of this invention far surpasses plastic scalpelhandles and molded type scalpel handles in which air pockets or similarimperfections may be unknowingly incorporated into the final product dueto imperfections and the molding operation.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relationof one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and thearticle possessing the features, properties, and the relation ofelements, which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure,and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

THE DRAWINGS For a thorough understanding of the nature and objects ofthe invention, reference should be had to the following detaileddescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whichFIG. 1 is a plan view of a cylindrical rod with specially contoured endsprior to insertion in a rotary swaging machine;

FIG. 1A is a greatly enlarged plan view of the cylindrical rod of FIG. 1showing the specially contoured end in greater detail;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cylindrical rod of FIG. 1, after beingwithdrawn from the rotary swaging machine;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional, side elevation view of the scalpel handleof this invention in a press swaging die;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the scalpel handle of this invention in apress swaging die taken along line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of a portion of thescalpel handle of this invention taken along line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the scalpel handle of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a front end view of the scalpel handle of this invention takenalong line 77 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of a portion of thescalpel handle of this invention in the press swaging die taken alongline 8+8 of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Scalpel handle of this invention, best seen in FIG.6, incorporates a blade mounting portion 22, a handle portion 24, and anintermediate portion 26 which interconnects mounting portion 22 with ahandle portion 24. By referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, it can be seen thatscalpel handle 20 is completely symmetrical about its central axis. As aresult, a surgical blade 28, shown in phantom in FIG. 6, can be mountedto either side of blade mounting portion 22. This allows scalpel handle20 to have a blade mounted thereto which can be used by either righthandled or left handed surgeons.

One of the major advantages of scalpel handle 20 is found in its uniquefour-step manufacturing process. This process can best be understood byreferring to FIGS. 1, 1A and 2-4. In FIG. 1A, a cylindrical rod 30, suchas is used as the axle in toy trucks, is shown after the ends 32 and 34have been specially contoured. Rod 30 preferably comprises an overalllength of 4 3/16 inches and a diameter of 0.218 inches. Preferably, theoverall length is maintained within 0.010 inches of the preferred lengthand the diameter is maintained within 0.005 inches of the preferreddiameter.

Preferably, specially contoured ends 32 and 34 are not perfectlyspherical and, instead, comprise two distinct portions 31 and 33 havingdifferent radaii. Portions 31, which include the tips of ends 32 and 34,comprise a radius equal to one-half the diameter of rod 30. In thepreferred embodiment, this radius is about 0.109 inches. The remainingportions 33 of ends 32 and 34 comprise between one-half and two-thirdsthe diameter of rod 30, with a radius of 0.125 inches in the preferredembodiment. Therefore, the first step in the manufacturing process ofscalpel handle 20 is to contour both ends 32 and 34 of rod 30 into thedesired blended, double radius ends. As will be more fully describedbelow,

specially contoured ends 32 and 34 are extremely important in order toprovide a rod which is capable of being press swaged into a scalpelhandle without leaving any flash.

Preferably, rod 30 is a low carbon steel rod having a surface finishfree from pits and gouges. The rod composition is important since othertypes of rods tested resulted in cracks at the palm end of the scalpelhandle or flash" after the swage pressing operation. The surface finishof the rod is also important to the production of a smooth scalpelhandle since the slightest pit or gouge in the rod is amplified duringswage pressing producing a poor surface on the scalpel handle.

The second manufacturing step is the rotary swaging of one end of therod. In FIG. 1 cylindrical rod 30 with specially contoured ends 32 and34 is shown prior to insertion in a rotary swaging machine 36. When end32 of rod 30 is inserted into swaging machine 36, end 32 of rod 30 isstretched and formed, in a single operation, into a smaller diametercylindrical portion 38 and an intermediate conical-shaped portion 40, asshown in FIG. 2. Conical portion 40 provides a uniform transition fromthe smaller diameter cylindrical portion 38 to the larger diametercylindrical body of rod 30, while the stretching operation establishesthe overall length of scalpel handle 20.

In the third manufacturing step, scalpel handle 20 is substantiallycompleted in a single operation by swage pressing rod 30 between pressswaging dies 42 and 44 into the desired scalpel shape, as shown in FIGS.3 and 4. Dies 42 and 44 cooperate to form a cavity 43, which defines thedesired top and bottom surface shape of scalpel handle 20 while assuringproduction of scalpel handle 20 with the desired thickness at thevarious points thereof. Since the vertical dimension of cavity 43 iscarefully controlled to assure the desired scalpel handle thickness andthe raw material of rod 30 is free to flow laterally, no flash orleftover material is produced which needs to be trimmed in a separateoperation. Furthermore, the use of rod 30 with its specially contoured,double radius ends 32 and 34, assures that scalpel handle 20 will notcontain any flash at its terminating ends and instead will be smoothlyrounded throughout.

Palm end 25 of handle portion 24, best seen in FIGS. 3, 6 and 8,comprises the thinnest portion of scalpel handle 20. The palm endportion of a scalpel handle is used by the surgeons to spread the skinof the patient after an incision has been made. Consequently, it isextremely important, that the palm end portion be substantially flat, inorder to be easily inserted into the incision, while also being smoothlyrounded throughout its end, in order to prevent any unwanted cutting orpuncturing of the patients tissue surrounding the incision. Smoothlyrounded palm end portion 25 is provided in scalpel handle '20 directlyfrom the press swaging operation due to the unique manufacturing processof scalpel handle 20. The special contouring of end 34, described above,assures that palm end 25 will be smoothly rounded directly after thepress swaging operation without any burrs or rough areas which have tobe removed. Furthermore, the selection of the material and surfacefinish of rod 30 provides assurance that there will be no cracks, pitsor gouges in palm end 25.

The final step in the manufacturing process of scalpel handle 20 is thepiercing of eyelet holes 50, shown in FIG. 6, for the easy mounting of ascalpel blade. Scalpel handle is now a completed product ready for themounting of a surgical blade thereto.

Although the production of scalpels is primarily concerned and referredto in this application, the scope and breadth of this manufacturingprocess is not limited to scalpels, since this no flash manufacturingprocess has applicability to many varied and diversed products, such asknife handles, scissors, etc.

Scalpel 20 is constructed to be well balanced and comfortable in thehands of the surgeon, while also weighing the same as expensive scalpelhandles. By using a cylindrical rod, with double radius ends, carefullydesigned press dies, and a press swaging operation that employs all ofthe raw material, the peripherally surrounding edges of the handleportion 24 are rounded throughout. This is highly advantageous since itprovides a smoothly rounded surface for ease of handling.

Scalpel 20 also has a non-slip gripping surface 46 which incorporates aplurality of grooves 48 and 49. As best seen in FIG. 5, grooves 48 and49 are 90 out of phase, thereby having each groove 48 juxtaposed to theridges between groove 49, and vice versa. As will be more fullydescribed below, this arrangement assures that the raw material will notflow" longitudinally during the pressing operation, which would produceflashf Another important direct result of the 90 offset of grooves 48and 49 is the production of handle portion 24 with a substantiallyconstant cross-sectional area throughout substantially its entirelength.

Due to the unique manufacturing process described above, scalpel handle20 is an extremely high quality product. Since scalpel handle 20 isproduced in a single press swaging operation from a single rod havingtwo substantially cylindrical portions with different diameters and alsobecause of die shape, scalpel handle 20 comprises a substantiallyconstant cross'sectional area throughout those portions formed from thetwo cylindrical rod portions. Blade mounting portion 22 comprises across-sectional area which is substantially constant throughout itslength, and which is also substantially equal to the cross-sectionalarea of the smaller diameter cylindrical portion 38 of rod 30.Similarly, the cross-sectional area of handle portion 24 issubstantially constant throughout substantially the entire length ofhandle portion 24, and this cross-sectional area is also substantiallyequal to the cross-sectional area of the larger diameter cylindricalbody of rod 30. A cross-section of palm portion 25 is shown in FIG. 8.

The maintenance of a constant cross-sectional area in the production ofscalpel handle 20 is extremely important for assuring the use of all ofthe raw material during the press swaging operation without elongationof the material, thereby preventing any flash from being produced. As aresult, both handle portion 24 and blade mounting portion 22 have auniform crosssectional area throughout the respective lengths andincorporate smooth rounded edges about their entire peripheries withoutany sharp or inconsistent portions therein. This controlled metal pressswaging operation produces a high quality product directly from the diewithout requiring removal of flash or leftover material. The eliminationof the extra step required in prior art processes for the removalofflash makes this process extremely desirable since the product of thisprocess is produced considerably less expensively than prior artproducts.

In the preferred embodiment of scalpel handle 20, the scalpel handleincorporates a non-glare finish. This is desirable in order to preventglare which may interfere with the surgeon during the operation. Such anonglare surface is easily provided by tumbling and shot processes wellknown in the art. The resulting scalpel handle has a non-glare finish,as represented in FIG. 6.

Although the description above is directed specifically to surgicalscalpel handles, manufacturing process described in relation to thescalpel handle can be efficiently employed for the production of anyunitarily constructed product. As clearly described above, this processis extremely advantageous since the unitary product can be produced in asingle operation without the expensive additional step of flash removal.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those madeapparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained, andsince certain changes may be made in carrying out the above method andin the article set forth without departing from the scope of theinvention, it is intended that all matter contained in the abovedescription and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpretedas illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

l. A scalpel handle comprising:

A. a handle portion completely symmetrical about its longitudinal axis,wherein said handle portion is substantially flat and incorporates aplurality of grooves positioned on both sides of said handle portionwith the grooves on one side being offset from the grooves on the otherside, and

B. a blade mounting portion,

a. extending from said handle portion,

b. incorporating two substantially flat parallel blade mounting surfacespositioned for securement of a blade on either of said surfaces, and

c. being completely symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of saidhandle portion,

whereby a surgical blade can be mounted to said mounting portion oneither side thereof for use by either right handed or left handedpersons.

2. A scalpel handle as defined in claim 1, wherein said handle portioncomprises a substantially constant cross-sectional area throughout.

3. The scalpel as defined in claim 1, wherein said blade mountingportion comprises a substantially constant cross-sectional areathroughout.

4. A scalpel as defined in claim 1, comprising a substantially unitarystructure incorporating substantially rounded peripheral edgesthroughout.

1. A scalpel handle comprising: A. a handle portion completelysymmetrical about its longitudinal axis, wherein said handle portion issubstantially flat and incorporates a plurality of grooves positioned onboth sides of said handle portion with the grooves on one side beingoffset from the grooves on the other side, and B. a blade mountingportion, a. extending from said handle portion, b. incorporating twosubstantially flat parallel blade mounting surfaces positioned forsecurement of a blade on either of said surfaces, and c. beingcompletely symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of said handleportion, whereby a surgical blade can be mounted to said mountingportion on either side thereof for use by either right handed or lefthanded persons.
 2. A scalpel handle as defined in claim 1, wherein saidhandle portion comprises a substantially constant cross-sectional areathroughout.
 3. The scalpel as defined in claim 1, wherein said blademounting portion comprises a substantially constant cross-sectional areathroughout.
 4. A scalpel as defined in claim 1, comprising asubstantially unitary structure incorporating substantially roundedperipheral edges throughout.